Amid Coronavirus Spread, Ayodhya District Administration Puts Restriction for Ram Navami Mela

Lucknow: In the wake of ongoing coronavirus spread in the country, the Ayodhya district administration on Sunday decided to put restrictions to the age old Ram Navami Mela in the holy city, which was supposed to start after the occasion of Ram Navami. The entry of devotees from outside Ayodhya has been restricted till April  2 while hotel owners have been asked not to take any bookings till Navaratra. The doors of the temples won’t be shut but devotees coming from outside Ayodhya will be stopped at the borders. Also, the administration has stopped devotees from taking dip in Saryu River on Ram Navami as a precautionary measure.

This year around 20 to 25 lakh devotees were expected to turn up for the Ram Navami Mela in Ayodhya. The advisory issued by Ayodhya District administration also asked people to stay indoors and not to attend any mass gathering. Speaking to media, DM Ayodhya Anuj Jha said, “The entry points to Ayodhya will be barricaded and devotees coming to Ayodhya will be stopped and sent back. Hotel and Dharmshalas have been told to cancel all the bookings as of now.”

On the other hand, the Puja ceremony which was to be done before shifting the idol of Ram Lalla to a new makeshift enclosure, has been postponed in the wake of coronavirus spread. Fresh dates for the Puja ceremony will soon be announced by the Ram Janambhumi Teerth Kshetra Trust. The trust has also appealed people to stay indoors and pray inside their houses.

The Ramkot Parikrama, scheduled for March 24, has also been postponed. BJP leader Vinay Katiyar is among one of the participants of the Ramkot Parikrama, along with seers and saints. Meanwhile in Ayodhya, the daily performance of Ramlila at the Tulsi Smarak Bhawan has also been put to halt.

According to the latest data issued by the UP Health Department, till now 343 people have showed symptoms of the COVID-19 across the state, of which 26 have tested positive. Almost 6,134 people from coronavirus-effected countries have returned to the state, while 3,378 have been sent to isolation and are under observation for 28 days. More than 25 lakh people have been scanned at various airports along the state.